


A Risk Worth Taking

by Seraph_Novak



Series: Destiel One-Shots [32]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Artist Castiel (Supernatural), Awkward Flirting, Bus Driver Dean, Castiel Isn't Good At Talking, Confident Dean, Dean is a Sweetheart, Fluff, Holding Hands, Hopeful Ending, Kind Dean, Love at First Sight, M/M, Meet-Cute, One Shot, POV Castiel, Self-Doubt, Shy Castiel, Smitten Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 17:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13439763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraph_Novak/pseuds/Seraph_Novak
Summary: After Gabriel crashes his car, Castiel is forced to take the bus to work. Hehatesthe bus. But at least the driver is handsome. And charming. And funny. And kind. And... Okay. He might be falling in love.





	A Risk Worth Taking

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I started writing this over two years ago, believe it or not... I found it amongst all my other unfinished stories, and decided to finish it off. There is a slight change in my writing style, but I don't think it's too obvious. I did go back and edit the beginning quite heavily. I hope you like it all the same!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are very much appreciated. Thanks for reading ♥

The rain was coming down heavy that day, angry lashes of cold spray soaking through his trenchcoat. He wrapped his trembling arms tightly around his chest in an effort to warm himself against the chill, but the sodden layers seeping into his skin were enough to make his teeth chatter. Around him, the world seemed grey, lost in a smudge of rain-streaked smog. An elderly woman offered him a sympathetic smile from the safety of her umbrella, her kind eyes twinkling beneath curls of grey-blonde hair. He acknowledged the gesture with a nod. His neck felt stiff and awkward from the cold, but at least the sudden movement saved him from freezing in place.

He turned away with a sigh. This was all Gabriel's fault. If he hadn't been so insistent on taking the car for the weekend, he wouldn't be in such a mess. Now, his only mode of transportation was slowly rotting away in Singer's Salvage Yard, awaiting a full-body repair due to his brother's recklessness. Which meant that he'd have to endure day after day of cold winter mornings and sticky public transport just to get to work on time.

The rumbling of a hefty vehicle interrupted his inner-rant. He watched in despair as the bus pulled up alongside the stop, coming to a noisy pause beside the waiting crowd. It was awful; they were like animals, practically climbing over one another to get on first. Castiel purposely held back to avoid being trampled on (not that ending up in hospital seemed like such a tragedy) as a gang of high schoolers snaked their way through the bodies, their rucksacks almost touching the ground. The elderly woman from earlier caught his eye.

"Madness," she said with an exasperated smile. "Who'd think that today's youth would be so eager to get to school, hey?"

Castiel frowned. "Is it like this every day?"

He couldn't imagine having to tolerate such chaos every single morning for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he could have a go at the rusty old lump of metal himself. After all, he was due a new vehicle, so attempting a repair with next to no experience in the art of mechanics was not exactly a massive risk to take.

The woman chuckled softly. It was a nice sound, he decided, like warm honey. "Just you wait, my dear. Our Dean will sort them out."

Before she could elaborate, the bus doors opened with a hiss, and a handsome man dressed in faded jeans and a plaid shirt stepped out into the rain. Beneath his cap, Castiel could make out a strong jaw, sandy brown hair, and a golden splattering of freckles. But mainly, it was the eyes. Even from a distance, he could see how someone could easily melt at such a luscious shade of green.  

"Woah, woah, woah!" the handsome stranger called out, lifting one muscled arm above the chaos. "Settle down, folks, settle down."

At the man's request, the crowd instantly obeyed, parting slightly to make room for him to hop down. He certainly had an air of confidence about him. It was surely enough to make the ladies swoon.   

Castiel turned to the woman with a frown. "Is that 'our Dean'?"

"Sure is," she said with a wink. "And he's single, too."

He felt himself blush at the insinuation, too embarrassed to argue. He could imagine that his expression was something of shocked awe at the sight of such a beautiful creature. After all, he was only human – and not a blind one, at that. This Dean fellow was quite clearly very attractive, and therefore out of his league. But there was no harm in simply observing, was there? Absolutely not.

"C'mon, Dean!" a young boy whined, elbowing past his friends to reach the bus driver up front. "Be cool, man!"

Dean smirked a little. "Save it, Ben. You know the rules."

"But –"

“I can ring your mom right now, if ya want. Let’s see whose side she takes.”

A chorus of 'oohs' and 'aahs' rose from the crowd of teenage boys. It was all in jest, but Dean clearly had the upper hand. His playful attitude made him likeable, even amongst the school kids. They seemed to respect him the way they would an older brother. In fact, Dean seemed acquainted with just about anyone he interacted with.

As if to prove his point, the man turned his way with a grin, lifting his hand in greeting. "Doris! My favourite customer."

"Nah. Just the oldest,” the old woman next to him replied with a smile.

Dean barked a laugh as he made his way over. Castiel was entranced. The way the man threw his head back – shoulders lifted in merriment – was enough to send a surge of warmth through his chest. In a burst of sudden affection, he found himself wondering if love at first sight was more than just a fable.

"You don't look a day over 19,” Dean insisted.

Doris laughed lightly, swatting at his arm with a sigh. "Oh, please. Those days are long gone for me, dear."

Castiel watched the casual exchange with rapt curiosity. Who was this man? Where had he been hiding all this time?

Suddenly, those green eyes were on him, and all thoughts flew out the window. It was like being pulled into some strange, other dimension, surrounded by green and gold lights against the grey blur of the city around them. A slight smile pulled at the man's lips; they looked soft and plump, wetted by the quick, pink tongue that glided over their surface. Castiel could feel his knees buckle, but it was only until a strong hand clasped around his forearm that he realised that he was practically sinking.

"Hey. You okay there, buddy?"

His voice was a low grumble, like the rumbling traffic trudging by. There was something about it that felt like home, as if he could simply wrap himself up in the sound of his voice and fall asleep. Just forget about the madness of the city for a while.

"Yes," he managed to say, words slightly croaked. "I'm quite alright, thank you."

Dean grinned brightly, eyes trained on Castiel's face. He stared at him for a moment, then turned back to Doris. "You ready to go, Dee?"

"Am I ever."

Dean linked arms with the woman, casting one last glance over his shoulder. It was like he was in a movie - everything slowed down around him, as he watched them leave. The crowed muttered and cursed about being late for whatever business they had to attend to, but Dean simply focussed on helping Doris step up onto the bus. Her steps were stiff and uncoordinated, clearly a struggle to make, especially in such weather. Castiel was once again hit with a bundle of warmth and affection for this man, who quite clearly was more than just a handsome face.

"All aboard!"

He was yanked out of his thoughts, and was suddenly being pushed forward by the moving crowd around him. The next minute, he was face to face with those gorgeous, green eyes and plush lips, trying to urge his brain to catch up with the situation. After all, those lips were _moving_ and Castiel was too lost in their shape to understand a word that was coming out of the man’s mouth.  

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

Another 100-watt smile brightened up Dean's face, making his heart stutter. "I said, where you headed?"

“Um.”

"Don't think too hard," Dean chuckled, his green eyes twinkling.

Castiel gulped. If he didn’t get a hold of himself soon, the rest of the bus would probably start flinging things at him. And rightfully so. He really was stalling the morning commute for everyone.

“The University, please,” he managed to blurt out without fainting. He was almost proud of himself.

Dean took his money and printed off a ticket, tearing it from the machine with practiced ease. Their fingers brushed as he handed it over. Castiel sucked in a breath and turned to leave, before he did something stupid like trip on the wet floor beneath his feet and land in the bus driver’s lap.

But he was stunned to find that there were no available spaces on the bus behind him. All he could see was a mass of angry, impatient faces glaring at him from behind newspapers and coffee cups.

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at Dean.

“I, um. I guess I’ll just sit here then,” he said, unfolding the cheap plastic seat at the front of the bus, right next to Dean. It was one of those seats for people with disabilities, so they wouldn’t have to walk too far to get on and off the bus. He wondered why Doris hadn’t opted to sit here. But then he caught a glimpse of her smug smile a few rows back, and everything made sense.

She was trying to play cupid.

“So,” Dean said as he clicked on the indicator and guided the bus back onto the road. “You a professor?”

“I teach an art class every other day. It doesn’t pay much, but I enjoy it. I would hardly call myself a professor though. I don’t really teach the students anything. I just help them develop their skills and become more confident in their work.”

“Sounds like you teach them a lot.”

Castiel shrugged, a little embarrassed. He never liked to brag. “They teach me just as much in return.”

“It’s awesome, ain’t it? When you like your job.”

“It is.”

“I’ve been driving this bus for almost four years, and it never gets old. I know most folks think being a bus driver ain’t all that, but I love it. Every single day. I mean, I’m getting paid to drive my baby. And meet cute non-professors.”

Castiel cleared his throat and looked down at his feet. He could feel his toes swimming in a shallow puddle of rainwater. It must have leeched inside somehow. Maybe there were holes in his shoes. He _had_ been wearing the same pair for the past two and a half years, so it wasn’t unlikely. He combed his mind for a subtle way to change the subject, before Dean found a reason to compliment him again. It was nice, having such a handsome man call him cute, but he refused to fall into Doris’ trap. He didn’t even know the woman, and she was trying to set him up. It was strange. He didn’t like being used.

“You call the bus your baby?”

Dean grinned. “Well, baby 2.0. My real baby’s back home, chilling in the garage. She’s waiting on a few repairs. There’s a reason I don’t let my idiot brother take her out much.”

“Oh, I know what you mean. I usually drive to work, but my brother somehow convinced me to let him borrow my car at the weekend. It’s at Singer’s Salvage Yard as we speak. I hope they get it fixed soon, so I can avoid the craziness of public transportation.” He gave Dean a sheepish smile and shrugged. “No offence.”    

“None taken. It’s these school kids, man. They’re crazy.” There was a fondness in Dean’s voice that made Castiel smile. He really was a good man. “But, hey. Bobby Singer’s kinda like my uncle. I’ve known him since I was a kid. I’ll have a word with him, see if I can’t bump you up the list. I know it’s been stupidly busy at the yard lately. It’s this damn weather, ya know? It’s hella dangerous on the roads at the moment.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

“No problem,” Dean gave him a dazzling smile, one that made him feel a little light-headed. “I kinda wish you’d stick around a little while longer though, I ain’t gonna lie.”

“I’m not a fan of taking the bus,” was all he could think to say.

Dean chuckled. “Man. You’ve got a real talent for deflecting my super smooth flirting techniques, don't ya?"

“Oh. My apologies.”

“Nah, it’s alright. It’s my bad for thinking you were interested. I just got that vibe from you before, thought you were giving me a look. I’m not so great at picking up signals from guys. I’m still getting used to this whole ‘bisexual’ thing. I just came out last year. Fuck, was I scared.” Dean shook his head, forcing a laugh. “You can tell me to shut up, ya know? I have no idea why I’m offloading all this crap onto you anyway.”

“No, no, it’s fine.”

“I don’t usually blab to strangers like this, I just… I dunno. You’re an easy guy to talk to, I guess.”

“You, too,” Castiel said. And he meant it. He really did. Talking to Dean was like talking to an old friend, the kind you can reconnect with after years of being apart like nothing had happened. It was easy, and comfortable, and nice. Just really, really nice. Maybe Doris was onto something.

He decided to play along with the game, if only to see how far he could get without bailing. He never had been great at scoring dates with people. Or even just _talking_ to people. In fact, people in general were a major issue for Castiel. Maybe that’s why he liked to paint so much. He knew the oil-painted figures on his canvas couldn’t judge him, and that made him feel safe.

But maybe it was about time he gave the real thing a try. Maybe people weren’t all that bad.  

“You weren’t wrong,” he found himself saying. Dean lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t look away from the road ahead. “About me being gay. I am. And I do believe I was giving you a look before. It wasn’t intentional, but I was. You were just too beautiful to ignore.”

Dean drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and grinned. “Maybe my gaydar ain’t all that bad after all.”

“Perhaps not.”

“So, what now? I’ve never actually done this with a guy before. I mean, I’ve done stuff with guys before, but never this. I guess you’re different. Good different, don’t get me wrong. I’ve just never wanted to take another guy out to dinner and stuff. Like, hold their hand and all that shit. D’you think maybe I could hold your hand? Once we’ve stopped, I mean. Just to try it out. You’ve got pretty nice hands, ya know.”

Castiel looked down at his feet again. If he wriggled his toes just so, he could hear the water squelching inside his socks. Which was strange, because the bus engine, mingled with the excited chatter of the high school students behind him, was fairly loud. Maybe he was imagining things.

Sometimes, when he was nervous or unsure, he’d recoil into himself. It was like he was living inside his own head. You know when you cover your ears, and suddenly every sound you make – every swallow, every breath, every sniff – is inexplicably louder than before? It was similar to that. Maybe he was having one of those moments, and the sound of the water between his toes was just an illusion.

He didn’t realise the bus had reached its first stop until a swarm of teenage boys knocked him against the window. The sudden peace and quiet was almost eerie, like it was trying to tell him something. It was then that he realised he hadn’t answered Dean’s question yet.

“You can hold my hand,” he said thickly. His toes squelched in approval as he looked at Dean. “I’d like that very much.”

Dean licked his lips to hide his growing smile, then nodded his head. He glanced over at Castiel for just a second, but it was enough. Something passed between them. It was a warm and trembling sensation, like someone was stroking his heart. Maybe it was Dean. Was it really that easy to grant someone access to your heart? It was a terrifying thought, but he hoped it was true.

The University was the second to last stop, right after the retail park. It was just on the edge of the city, away from the hustle and bustle without being completely detached.

Doris got off before his stop. She had one of those tartan trolleys with her, and Castiel could see she was struggling. He saved Dean the trouble of getting out of his seat by helping Doris down the steps of the bus. He opened her umbrella to shield her from the rain, getting himself soaked in the process. All she could do was chuckle as Castiel ran a hand through his sopping hair. He could tell by the glimmer in her eyes that she was satisfied with the results of her little experiment.

“You and Dean seem to be getting along,” she winked.

“Do you always do this? Set him up with random strangers?”

“Oh, no. You’re the first. But I have been searching for the perfect candidate for quite some time now.”

Castiel glanced back at the bus as the last person got off. “Well, I have to go. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yes, it was,” Doris smiled sweetly. “I think you two will be good for each other. You can tell that about a couple sometimes. Just one look at you both, and anyone could see you’re already smitten. It’s a wonderful thing.”

“He seems very nice.”

“Oh, he is.”

“But I’m not sure it will work out. He’s very handsome as well.”

“As are you, my boy.”

Castiel ducked his head. He couldn’t hear his toes squelching anymore, and that unnerved him. He had a feeling Doris was right. He really was drawn to Dean, far more than he had any right to be. It was dangerous to fall for someone so quickly. It couldn’t possibly end well.

“Don’t doubt yourself so much,” Doris said, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. “And give our Dean a chance. He’s worth his weight in gold, he really is.”

Castiel nodded, then hurried back onto the bus. He’d already kept these poor people waiting long enough. Only, the bus was now empty when he stepped inside. This must have been the last stop for everyone but him. The only person he’d kept waiting was Dean.

“Sorry about that.”

“That was nice of you,” Dean said. His eyes were soft around the edges, like he was seeing something in Castiel for the first time. “I could’ve helped her off, ya know.”

“I was closer. And besides. I wanted to talk to her.”

“About?”

“I’m afraid that’s confidential.”

Dean snorted. “I know she’s been trying to set me up for months, man. She ain’t exactly subtle about it.”

“Oh, well. Yes. We were talking about that.”

“So, you’re it, huh? The chosen one?”

“Apparently so.”

“I’m glad,” Dean gave him one of those brilliant, blinding grins. “I would’ve chosen you too.”

“You still can.”

Dean answered by reaching over and taking his hand. Castiel liked the feel of his skin. It was rough and warm, like an old blanket. Being with Dean was the definition of comfort. And yet, his heart still spiked with childlike excitement whenever their eyes met. It was like he’d stepped outside his house for the first time, only to find a new home right across the street. It was different, but good different. Just like Dean had said.

This felt like the beginning of something great, like his life was finally taking a turn after years of following the same old path. It was terrifying, but also exhilarating. It just goes to show that life isn’t always straight forward, and maybe that’s a good thing.

“Perhaps I’ll let my brother borrow the car more often,” he said.

Dean snorted a laugh and squeezed his hand. “Or I could just give you my number, save you the hassle of taking weekly trips to the salvage yard.”

“Yeah,” Castiel smiled. “I like that idea more.”


End file.
